Page 42 of Hero Unbound

They were going to make it.

She got the dogs inside then sat down behind the wheel. Her fingers were so cold she couldn’t even bend them to wrap around the steering wheel. She was drenched to the skin.

But at least they were now out of the elements. She grabbed some napkins from the console and wiped as much water away from her face as she could and stared out the windshield. The wind was picking up further. If they were getting out of here, they needed to do it now.

She started the car and crept slowly along the road. They’d be fine if they could just make it off the property and onto the paved road that led into town. She glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the dogs sitting there in the back seat, trusting her to lead them to safety.

She could do this. She’d screwed up so much for them and herself, but she could do this. They inched along a little at a time.

She could barely see anything in front of her and let out a scream as a branch flew into the windshield. She jerked at the steering wheel and then overcompensated as they started to slide off the dirt road that had become sheer mud. Within a few seconds, despite trying both the brakes and hitting the gas, they were at an angle, sliding off the road.

“No, no. Please!” She yanked at the steering wheel again, trying to stop their downward trajectory, but it didn’t work. The car slid farther, finally ending up wedged against a tree.

She tried the gas again, but the tires merely spun. They were stuck.

Eva lowered her head against the steering wheel, unable to stop the sobs welling up in her chest. They’d only slid about ten feet off the road, but it might as well have been ten miles. There was no way she could get them back up.

Theo’s warning about flash flooding came to mind. This small ravine would probably become even more dangerous as the storm raged on. They had to get back out of here.

Going into town wasn’t an option anymore. They’d have to walk back to the Linear buildings.

She let out a small sob at the thought of going back out in that storm. But if she stayed here and the water rose suddenly, it would be too late to get out, especially with the dogs.

She turned and looked over her shoulder at them. They were both wet and huddled together, exhausted and scared. She understood the feeling. “We have to go, you guys. We have to.”

Her breath was sucked out of her body by the wind when she opened the door. How was it possible that the storm had gotten even worse since they’d gotten into the car? The rain had turned to hail, stinging as it struck her. She kept a hand on the vehicle, afraid if she let it go, she might not find it again.

She couldn’t see anything, not even a few feet in front of her.

How were they going to make it back to the Linear buildings? The closest structure would be the Mad Zoo. But it would be sheer blind luck for her to find it.

She opened the back door and scooped Sugar up, wincing as the hail continued to assault her. “Come on, Spice. We’ve got to go.”

Spice stayed firmly planted where she was on the back seat—no intention of moving.

Eva slapped the front of her leg in an attempt to coax the dog out. “Come on, girl. We’ve got to get going.”

Spice backed farther away.

“Please, Spice. We can’t stay here. It’s not safe.” She grabbed the dog’s collar, but even when she tugged, the dog wouldn’t move.

There was no way Eva would be able to get them back to the barn if she was carrying Sugar and attempting to drag Spice.

A vicious piece of hail caught her on the side of the head, and she let out a sob. She climbed into the back seat with Spice and shut the door. Sugar jumped out of her arms and huddled back next to the other dog.

They all jumped as the hail picked up and cracked against the car in rapid fire.

Eva reached up and touched her head where the hail had struck her head. Her fingers came away with blood on them. Spice had been right. If they’d been out in this, it would’ve been a disaster—like being pelted with rocks.

Then again, if the ravine flooded and swept the car away, it would be even more of a disaster. Eva rested her head back on the seat, pressing her fingers against the cut on her scalp to stop the bleeding, trying to figure out what to do.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She got it out to look at it, muttering a curse when she saw it was Gareth again. She immediately rejected the call, although that was a mistake. It just meant he knew she was using her phone and would be even more persistent.

She looked at the most recent call before Gareth’s. Theo. He’d put his number in her phone then called himself so he would have hers.

Was he back from helping Sheriff Webb? If so, he could get to her. She had to try. Contacting him would probably mean he figured out the truth about her crappy living situation, but at least she would be alive to still have a crappy living situation.

She hit the redial button before she could talk herself out of it—or worse, before Gareth could call back and block the line.

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